Tag: Circlerama

A rare opportunity to view the planet Mars with the naked eye inspired Dara to create this abstract Portrait of the earth’s closest planetary neighbor. It was a fall night more than a decade ago during which sparkling stars surrounded the red planet that motivated Dara to captivate this event on canvas.

The planet Mars has been a subject of many earthly interests and projections in the past decades. Mars is being explored in space programs and plans are being made to make the planet livable for people in the long run. In popular culture Mars has often been portrayed as a threatening force in scenarios that were often projections of conflicts carried out on planet Earth (e.g. the Cold War). In musical and artistic projects inspired by the civil rights movement in the United States Mars obtained yet another meaning. It became an imaginary, utopian place for a life without discrimination, persecution or oppression. It is this meaning which Dara’s painting picks up on. It is dedicated to all those who experienced violent expulsions or long-term alienations from or within their original environment, yet have not lost hope that there can be a place where they can find safety, protection and belonging. Transparent, mysterious creatures behind the red planetary surface stand symbolically for this hidden dimension of meaning that is not accessible to everybody.

Dara created this music-themed abstract painting in 2010. The conceptual framework is the slow Dissipation of things and their absorption into the past which is symbolized by the pink color that seems to slowly peel off from the canvas showing the green background. The same line of thought may apply for the golden line that horizonzally runs with an interruption through the painting. Together with the sparse circles it looks like the remains of a notation. Yet the remaining traces seem to emanate an even greater impact than the one they would have in their original preserved shape which also points to the power that memories can have, especially if they are connected to music.

On this painting from 2008 Dara explores a differential spatial distribution of circular elements. Voluminous circles serve as the background for a gathering of colorful micro-circles that becomes increasingly dense towards the painting’s center. In spite of the loose and playful arrangement that does not seem to follow strict formal rules the painting deals with the theme of contrasts between large and small circles, the center and periphery, watery vs. strong coloration and the exciting visual effects that result from the overlappings of the eclectic elements. Dara Zindovic (2008): Untitled, acrylic on cotton paper, 57 cm x 75 cm / 22,44“ x 29,53“

After the creation of the fantasy planet in a large size format Dara revisited the smaller version of the theme. The circular formation now has a more intense appearance and is being surrounded by wavy lines in light blue that can be regarded to either cool down the composition or to represent an alternative proposal for the concept of warmth.

On her new painting Dara brings watered-down circular forms together in order to create yet another beautiful fantasy planet. Grounded in a layer of delicate pink and ornamented with a halo in light blue and beige the latest motif by Dara is a lavish dream come true. Dara Zindovic (2017): Untitled, acrylic on canvas, 70 cm x 70 cm / 27,56“ x 27,56“

The theme of the universe and the multiplicity of events and phenomens that it contains is symbolized on this new painting by Dara by a circle that contains blurred and polycolored forms. The very stark and dense mixture of elements becomes lighter towards the outer side of the circle and is also being contrasted by cloudy looking spots that connect the circle with the light, pastellike background. Dara Zindovic (2017): Untitled, acrylic on canvas, 30 cm x 30 cm / 11,81“ x 11,81“

As a contrast to our last posting we are now presenting a work by Dara from 2005 that is a tightly knit collection of colorful elements. The dense and eclectic structure evokes the shape of a palette that is used as a space for the preparation of different colors that are applied on a canvas. So what can be usually regarded as an object that is part of the creation process, is elevated to the status of an art piece.

In her work Dara often uses the technique of overpainting compositions that are either in their early stages of development or are at times already fully elaborated. This is an approach that contains room for various interpretations. On the one hand it is a way of embellishing the painting and adding a supplemental level to it, which enhances the viewing experience. On the other hand it may disguise and hide the texture beneath. So there are also the aspects of domination over and replacement of something that has already been built as well as the creation of a mysterious atmosphere or the softening of an arrangement that would otherwise be more straightforward and easily accessible. The technique of overpainting on the paintings presented in this posting is not used to make the background entirely indiscernible. Instead, the many swift brushes and dots applied leave enough space that invite the viewer to imaginatively guess the look of the sphere lying behind the layer on the immediate surface.

On these paintings Dara uses gold to cover up the hitherto created composition. This color may on the one hand refine a work. It is also used in order to create a patina on old furniture pieces, for instance. So the color may also be seen a symbol of appreciation of old objects as well as an approach of preserving them. Bearing this function in mind, these paintings have a lasting importance that goes far beyond the immediate moment.

Transformation, the transition from one state of matter to another lies at the heart of Dara’s work. This new painting exemplifies this theme on the one hand by transferring a recently developed motif from a figurative into an abstract context. The flamboyant, oval forms that appeared as leaves on her recent flower paintings reemerge on this painting as elements that seem to be free falling like meteorites. Towards the lower part of the painting the cone-shaped forms with their dense and complex surface are largely replaced by a heap of intertwined circles with no clear delineated form as the oval forms that float above them that seem to have a strong and individualized identity of their own. With her latest painting Dara has created a visual poem of transformation. Dara Zindovic (2017): Untitled, acrylic on canvas, 27,56“ x 27,56“ / 70 cm x 70 cm

We are celebrating the new year with a painting Dara created in 2008. With innumerable circles in the most diverse colors the painting is filled with plenty of life. The abundance of forms may be taken as a reference for the different experiences people make throughout a year. Regardless of the type of occurence Dara’s painting reminds the viewers to always take the positive side from each situation. We wish you a happy new year and always look on the bright side of life. Dara Zindovic (2008): Untitled (acryl on cotton paper; 57 cm x 75 cm / 22,44“ x 29,53“)